Microwave synthesis of lithium thiophosphate composite materials

ABSTRACT

A microwave induced solvothermal method to prepare lithium thiophosphate composites including α-Li 3 PS 4  and crystalline Li 7 P 3 S 11  is provided. The method is scaleable to commercial size production.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure is directed to a method to prepare Lithium thiophosphate composite materials which is useful as an industrial scale process in terms of product quality, operation time and energy requirement.

BACKGROUND

The ubiquitous Li-ion battery has become an integral part of society, which enabled is the revolution of portable electronic devices, notably cell phones and laptops. The next epoch will be the integration of batteries into the transportation and grid storage industries, further intensifying society's dependence on batteries. State-of-the-art Li-ion cells utilize a liquid electrolyte consisting of lithium hexafluorophosphate salt dissolved in carbonate-based organic solvents. Recently it has become more evident that inorganic solid electrolytes are a superior alternative to liquid electrolytes which are flammable and present environmental issues.

Replacing the flammable organic liquid electrolyte with a solid Li-ion conductive phase would alleviate this safety issue, and may provide additional advantages such as improved mechanical and thermal stability. A primary function of the solid Li-ion conductive phase, usually called solid Li-ion conductor or solid state electrolyte, is to conduct Li⁺ ions from the anode side to the cathode side during discharge and from the cathode side to the anode side during charge while blocking the direct transport of electrons between electrodes within the battery.

Moreover, lithium batteries constructed with nonaqueous electrolytes are known to form dendritic lithium metal structures projecting from the anode to the cathode over repeated discharge and charge cycles. If and when such a dendrite structure projects to the cathode and shorts the battery energy is rapidly released and may initiate ignition of the organic solvent of the nonaqueous electrolyte.

Therefore, there is much interest and effort focused on the discovery of new solid Li-ion conducting materials which would lead to an all solid state lithium battery. Studies in the past decades have focused mainly on ionically conducting oxides such as for example, LISICON (Li₁₄ZnGe₄O₁₆), NASICON(Li_(1.3)Al_(0.3)Ti_(1.7)(PO₄)₃), perovskite (for example, La_(0.5)Li_(0.5)TiO₃), garnet (Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂), LiPON (for example, Li_(2.88)PO_(3.73)N_(0.14)) and sulfides, such as, for example, Li₃PS₄, Li₇P₃S₁₁ and LGPS (Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂).

Generally, lithium composite sulfides tend to provide better ionic conductivity and malleability. The structural characteristics of effective Li⁺ conducting crystal lattices have been described by Ceder et al. (Nature Materials, 14, 2015, 1026-1031) in regard to known Li⁺ ion conductors Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂ and Li₇P₃S₁₁, where the sulfur sublattice of both materials was shown to very closely match a bcc lattice structure. Further, Li⁺ ion hopping across adjacent tetrahedral coordinated Li⁺ lattice sites was indicated to offer a path of lowest activation energy. However, their utility has been hampered by their known air-sensitivity. Presently, lithium thiophosphates (LTP) are being investigated for use as a non-volatile and thermally stable solid electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The most notable examples of lithium thiophosphate solid electrolytes include Li₃PS₄, Li₇P₃S₁₁ and Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₁. Thermally stable solid-state electrolytes allow for a paradigm shift in battery pack design by simplifying thermal management and allowing bipolar stacking, thereby dramatically improving the energy density beyond what would be possible for a Li-ion battery containing liquid electrolyte.

Conventionally, LTP electrolytes are synthesized by mechanochemical milling (i.e. ball milling) or melt quenching. As a synthetic approach, ball milling is tedious and it is debatable whether it can be cost effectively scaled up for bulk-scale synthesis. For example, to create amorphous Li₃PS₄ (i.e. a-Li₃PS₄), Li₂S and P₂S₅ powders are loaded into a stainless steel enclosure filled with stainless steel balls and shaken or rotated for 3 days before sieving the product and cleaning the steel enclosure and balls. This method can also produce large, non-uniform particle sizes, requiring subsequent pulverization to obtain the desired particle size distribution. From a manufacturing point of view, scaling-up this technology would be labor and energy intensive. Solution synthesis of LTP is an alternative that offers numerous potential advantages, but it typically takes 1-3 days, which saves no time in comparison with mechanochemical

Conventionally, a-Li₃PS₄ is synthesized by mechanochemical milling a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ powders for 72 hours. The amorphous phase is desirable over the crystalline phases (α, β, γ) due to its enhanced conductivity. For example, at 25° C. a-Li₃PS₄ has a conductivity of about 0.1 mS/cm while crystalline β-Li₃PS₄ has a conductivity of about 0.001 mS/cm.

Accordingly, an object of this application is to provide a method to prepare a range of lithium thiophosphate composite materials which is suitable for product provision on an industrial scale.

Another object is to provide a method for the production of amorphous Li₃PS₄.

Another object is to provide a method for the production of Li₇P₃S₁₁.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

These and other objects are provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first embodiment of which includes A method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite, comprising: preparing an anhydrous mixture comprising: Li₂S; P₂S₅; optionally a component B; and a nonaqueous polar solvent; protecting the anhydrous mixture from air and humidity; mixing the anhydrous mixture to at least partially dissolve the Li₂S, P₂S₅ and component B if present; applying microwave energy to the protected anhydrous mixture to raise the reaction temperature to an optimum value for synthesis of the target lithium thiophosphate composite to obtain the target lithium thiophosphate composite; and removing the polar solvent from the obtained lithium thiophosphate composite; wherein a molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅ and to B, if present, is determined by the composition of the target lithium thiophosphate composite.

In an aspect of the first embodiment, when the component B is present the component B is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Li₃N, P₂O₅ Li₂O, LiN₃, GeS₂ or LiX wherein X is I, Cl or Br.

In another aspect of the first embodiment, the nonaqueous polar solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethers, nitriles, alcohols, carbonates and esters, with the proviso that the polar solvent is volatile under reduced pressure at a temperature less than a phase transition temperature of the target lithium thiophosphate composite.

In a special aspect of the first embodiment, the target lithium thiophosphate composite is amorphous Li₃PS₄, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 3/1, the solvent is tetrahydrofuran and no B component is present.

In another special aspect of the first embodiment, the target lithiumthiophosphate composite is Li₇P₃S₁₁, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 1.05/0.45, the solvent is acetonitrile and no B component is present.

In a more general aspect of the first embodiment the target lithium thiophosphate composite is xLi₂S·P₂S₅·(100-x-y)B, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately x/y, and a B component is present in an amount of 100-x-y.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of general introduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows Raman spectra of 3Li₂S:P₂S₅ samples microwaved in various solvents.

FIG. 2 shows Raman spectra of the insoluble product of a microwaved reaction of a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅ in THF.

FIG. 3 shows a TGA curve of microwaved Li₃PS₄ synthesized in THF.

FIG. 4: SEM image of microwaved Li₃PS₄·nTHF.

FIG. 5 shows XRD patterns of amorphous (a-, grey line) and crystalline (β-, black line) Li₃PS₄.

FIG. 6 shows an Arrhenius plot of the Li⁺-conductivity of a-Li₃PS₄, measured using EIS.

FIG. 7 shows the cycling behavior of a Li/a-Li₃PS₄/Li cell at 0.1 mA/cm² with 2 h half-cycles for 20 cycles at 25° C. using microwaved α-Li₃PS₄.

FIG. 8 shows a Raman spectra of powders obtained from a reaction of a 7:3 molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅.

FIG. 9 shows a TGA curve of microwaved Li₇P₃S₁₁ pre-cursor synthesized in THF.

FIG. 10 shows Raman spectra of powders obtained from a reaction of a 7:3 molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅.

FIG. 11 shows the TGA curves of Li₇P₃S₁₁ pre-cursors coordinated with ACN.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Throughout this description, the terms “electrochemical cell” and “battery” may be employed interchangeably unless the context of the description clearly distinguishes an electrochemical cell from a battery. Further the terms “solid-state electrolyte” and “solid-state ion conductor” may be employed interchangeably unless explicitly specified differently. The term “approximately” when associated with a numerical value conveys a range from −10% of the base value to +10% of the base value.

In general the inventors are conducting ongoing investigation of lithium thiophosphate composites of formula (I): xLi ₂ S·yP ₂ S ₅·(100-x-y)B

wherein B is a composite material selected from the group of materials including Li₃N, P₂O₅ Li₂O, LiN₃, GeS₂ or LiX wherein X is I, Cl or Br, each of x and y represent a mass % value of from 33.3% to 50% such that the total mass % of Li₂S, P₂S₅ and B is 100%. Lithium thiophosphate compounds of interest also include Li₃PS₄, Li₇P₃S₁₁ and Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₁. As described in the background discussion of this disclosure known methods to prepare these lithium thiophosphate composites are lengthy, often do not yield high quality product and are not scaleable to industrial commercial batch size. Therefore, the inventors have undertaken a study of alternative methods of synthesis of these target compounds. In the course of this study, microwave synthesis was investigated.

Microwave irradiation has been successfully applied in the synthesis of both inorganic and organic materials. For example, Kawaji et al. (US 2016/0181657) describe the solid state synthesis of composite materials based on Li₄Sn₃O₈ doped with one or more off +2, +3, +4 and +5 metals. In comparison with conventional heating methods, reactions heated by microwaves may produce higher yields with milder reaction conditions and possibly shorter reaction times. Microwaves have a high-frequency electric field, which oscillates polar molecules and charged species, generating heat very quickly through friction. Additionally, heat is generated uniformly throughout the reaction vessel as opposed to flowing toward the reaction site via convection or conduction.

In the case of Li⁺-conductive LTP solid electrolytes, the inventors considered that the Li₂S reactant is a salt comprised of Li⁺ and S²⁻ ions that can interact strongly with the electric field of the microwaves to produce heat locally. Moreover, because microwave reaction vessels are sealed, if a solvent is present, the solvent may be heated beyond its boiling point, which could potentially increase the solubility of reactants including Li₂S and P₂S₅ in the solvent.

The inventors have studied the synthesis of amorphous Li₃PS₄ (α-Li₃PS₄,) and of crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ as described in the examples. Unexpectedly, solid state synthesis methods such as described by Kawaji et al. did not achieve the target results. However, it was surprisingly discovered that when the microwave synthesis was conducted at significantly lower temperatures in polar organic solvents high yield of the target products could be obtained.

Conventionally, α-Li₃PS₄ is synthesized by mechanochemical milling a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ powders for 72 hours. The amorphous phase is desirable over the crystalline phases (β, γ) due to its enhanced conductivity. For example, at 25° C. α-Li₃PS₄ has a conductivity of about 0.1 mS/cm while crystalline β-Li₃PS₄ has a conductivity of about 0.001 mS/cm. Initially, a solid-state, microwave synthesis of Li₃PS₄ by directly reacting Li₂S and P₂S₅ powders in the absence of solvent was attempted (Example 1). The reaction was carried out at 290° C., to melt the P₂S₅, for 40 minutes. Raman spectroscopy (FIG. 1) indicated the presence of hypo-thiophosphate (P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ anion) and ortho-thiophosphate (PS₄ ³⁻ anion), but no PS₄ ³⁻ anion. The presence of crystalline Li₄P₂S₆ and β-Li₃PS₄ was also confirmed by XRD.

Investigation of the influence of solvents and significantly lower reaction temperatures in a solvothermal microwave induced reaction was then studied. Solvents in which Li₂S and P₂S₅ were at least partially soluble were selected. As indicated in FIG. 1 at reaction temperatures of from 100° C. to 200° C. in anhydrous polar solvents—including dibutyl ether, glyme, tetraglyme, 1,3-dioxolane, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran (THF)—Raman spectroscopy shows the presence of the desired PS₄ ³⁻ anions in the product. Surprisingly, the PS₄ ³⁻ anion was the sole product when the reaction was carried out in THF at 130° C. for 30 min, albeit as β-Li₃PS₄ with residual Li₂S as shown in FIG. 2. Extending the reaction time to 3 h eliminated the residual Li₂S but still produced β-Li₃PS₄ (FIG. 2). Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the THF molecules can be readily removed over a temperature range from 80° C. to 130° C., as shown in FIG. 3. The weight loss obtained from the TGA curve suggests a chemical composition of 2Li₃PS₄·5THF. After removing the solvent at approximately 130° C. (on a hot plate) for 3 hours, the powder was pressed into a pellet, compressed between two stainless steel rods and the Li⁺ conductivity was measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 25° C. The conductivity of this β-Li₃PS₄ was 0.0086 mS/cm, in agreement with previous results for β-Li₃PS₄ synthesized by ball milling.

The inventors believe that the solvent has a dramatic effect on the product composition, while the reaction temperature determines the phase crystallinity. To avoid crystalline Li₃PS₄, it is necessary to perform the microwave synthesis and coordinated solvent removal at temperatures below the amorphous to crystalline phase transition temperature of Li₃PS₄. Therefore, one must be cognizant of the temperature at which the coordinated solvent will be removed. If this temperature is too high, then the initially amorphous product will be detrimentally converted to a crystalline phase, such as β-Li₃PS₄.

Amorphous Li₃PS₄ was obtained h microwaving a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ in THF at 100° C. for 3 hours (FIG. 2). In contrast to the ball milled Li₃PS₄ sample, the microwaved sample is devoid of a P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ anion impurity. The coordinated THF was removed at 130° C. under vacuum, resulting in a 50% weight loss. The resulting particles were either large and blocky or small as shown in FIG. 4. The inventors believe that further optimization of the reaction conditions could exert more control over particle size distribution and morphology.

FIG. 6 displays an Arrhenius plot of the Li⁺ conductivity of microwave-synthesized α-Li₃PS₄ between −10° C. and 80° C. measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), yielding values of 0.1 mS/cm at 25° C. and 1 mS/cm at 80° C. The activation energy was calculated using the Arrhenius equation, σ=σ₀e^(−E) ^(a) ^(/kT), to be 160 meV. FIG. 7 shows the voltage profile of a solid state Li/α-Li₃PS₄/Li cell as it was cycled at room temperature for 20 cycles to demonstrate the feasibility of microwave-synthesized LTP as a Li-ion electrolyte. During the initial cycles, the stripping and plating of Li occurred at an overpotential of 47 mV, at 0.1 mA/cm² for 2 h each half-cycle.

Crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ is comprised of PS₄ ³⁻ and P₂S₇ ⁴⁻ anions in a 1:1 ratio. Traditionally, crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ is synthesized in two steps: 1) Ball milling a 70 Li₂S:30 P₂S₅ molar ratio of powder for 3 days produces an amorphous phase of 7Li₂S-3P₂S₅ referred to as the pre-cursor. 2) Crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ is formed by heating the pre-cursor powder above the crystallization temperature (˜260° C.). To demonstrate the broad applicability of the microwave solvothermal synthesis technique, the synthesis of crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ was attempted. Microwave, solid-state synthesis of crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ (300° C., 30 min) yielded a material (FIG. 8, solid line) containing P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ (385 cm⁻¹) and PS₄ ³⁻ (424 cm⁻) anions but none of the desired P₂S₇ ⁴⁻ (405 cm⁻¹). By using THF as a solvent and reducing the temperature to 75° C., the desired composition of 1 P₂S₇ ⁴⁻:1 PS₄ ³⁻ may be readily obtained by microwaving a 70:30 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅, for 2 hours. The TGA analysis, displayed in FIG. 9, indicates that the coordinated THF may be removed by heating the product to 150° C., resulting in a ˜45% weight loss. This temperature is notably higher than in the case of a-2Li₃PS₄·5THF. The dried product powder can be annealed to form the crystalline form of Li₇P₃S₁₁.

As further example of the versatility of the microwave solvothermal method, Li₇P₃S₁₁ was synthesized in ACN, and the product compared with ball milled Li₇P₃S₁₁ that had been soaked in ACN overnight. FIG. 10 indicates that the Raman spectrum of the microwaved pre-cursor (dotted line) is similar to the soaked, ball milled Li₇P₃S₁₁ pre-cursor (dashed line). Although the Raman spectrum reveals both the P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ and PS₄ ³⁻ anions, Li₇P₃S₁₁ can be formed by heating these pre-cursors to initiate a solid-state reaction between the Li₃PS₄ and Li₂P₂S₆. FIG. 11 shows the TGA analysis for both microwaved (dotted, grey line) and soaked, ball-milled (solid line) pre-cursors, demonstrating that ACN can be removed by heating to approximately 200° C.

The inventors believe that the solvothermal microwave promoted synthesis method may have general utility for lithium thiophosphate composite materials and thus provide a synthesis production method suitable to produce the target product in quantities necessary for commercial scale manufacture in support of advanced energy generation d storage devices.

Thus, in the first embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite, comprising:

preparing an anhydrous mixture comprising:

-   -   Li₂S;     -   P₂S₅;     -   optionally a component B; and     -   a nonaqueous polar solvent;

protecting the anhydrous mixture from air and humidity;

mixing the anhydrous mixture to at least partially dissolve the Li₂S, P₂S₅ and component B if present;

applying microwave energy to the protected anhydrous mixture to raise the reaction temperature to an optimum value for synthesis of the target lithium thiophosphate composite to obtain the target lithium thiophosphate composite; and

removing the polar solvent from the obtained lithium thiophosphate composite;

wherein a molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅ and to B, if present, is determined by the composition of the target lithium thiophosphate composite.

The target composite lithium thiophosphate may be any composite material as may be prepared according to the stoichiometric charge or molar ratio of the Li₂S, P₂S₅ and B if included. As indicated by the examples described herein, once the target lithium thiophosphate composite is identified optimization of polar solvent, reaction temperature and reaction time along with other reaction variables may be achieved by routine experimentation based on the actual composite product obtained, the product yield and the product quality.

In selected aspects of the first embodiment, B may be included as a component and B may be one or a combination of components selected from Li₃N, P₂O₅ Li₂O, LiN₃, GeS₂ or LiX wherein X is I, Cl or Br. The disclosure is not necessarily limited to only this list of B components and one of skill in the art may select other components as a B unit in a lithium thiophosphate composite.

In one aspect of the first embodiment the target lithium thiophosphate composite is of formula (I): xLi ₂ S·yP ₂ S ₅·(100-x-y)B wherein B is a composite material selected from the group of materials including Li₃N, P₂O₅ Li₂O, LiN₃, GeS₂ or LiX wherein X is I, Cl or Br, each of x and y represent a mass % value of from 33.3% to 50% such that the total mass % of Li₂S, P₂S₅ and B is 100%.

The nonaqueous polar solvent may be any of ethers, nitriles, alcohols, carbonates and esters, with the proviso that the polar solvent is volatile under reduced pressure at a temperature less than a phase transition temperature of the target lithium thiophosphate composite. Generally as described in the examples the target lithium thiophosphate composite may be obtained as a solid precipitate in the anhydrous polar solvent. The solid may be isolated from the mother liquor by any method known in the art, including decantation, filtration and centrifugation.

The solid material obtained from the isolation may contain coordinated solvent molecules which may be removed to obtain the solvent-free composite material. The coordinated solvent may be removed by any method known for such purpose and may require heating the material to an elevated temperature, preferably under reduced pressure, more preferably under vacuum. As previously described the temperature at which the solvent is removed must be at a value less than a phase transition temperature associated with the target lithium thiophosphate composite.

In one special embodiment of the present disclosure, the target lithium thiophosphate composite is amorphous Li₃PS₄ (α-Li₃PS₄), a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 3/1, the solvent is tetrahydrofuran and no B component is present. As described in the examples the temperature of the microwave induced solvothermal reaction may be conducted at a temperature of approximately 100° C. or less for a reaction time of approximately 30 minutes to 3 hours. The product α-Li₃PS₄ may be obtained by isolation from the mother liquor portion of the THF and then removal of the THF coordinated with the α-Li₃PS₄.

In another special embodiment of the present disclosure, the target lithium thiophosphate composite is Li₇P₃S₁₁, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 70/30, the solvent is THF or acetonitrile and no B component is present. As described in the examples the temperature of the microwave induced solvothermal reaction may be conducted at a temperature of approximately 75° C. or less for a reaction time of approximately 1 to 3 hours. The precursor product to Li₇P₃S₁₁ may be obtained by isolation from the mother liquor portion of the THF or acetonitrile and then removal of the coordinated solvent. Li₇P₃S₁₁ may then be obtained by annealing to form the crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁.

In a more general embodiment of the present disclosure the target lithium thiophosphate composite is xLi₂S·yP₂S₅·(100-x-y)B, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately x/y, and a B component is present in an amount of 100-x-y. The anhydrous polar solvent, temperature of the microwave induced reaction and time of the reaction may be determined by routine experimentation. Generally the anhydrous polar solvent may be selected from ethers, nitriles, alcohols, carbonates and esters, with the proviso that the polar solvent is volatile under reduced pressure at a temperature less than a phase transition temperature of the target lithium thiophosphate composite. Generally, the time of the microwave induced reaction may be from 30 minutes to 5 hours, preferably from 30 minutes to 4 hours and most preferable from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Generally, the reaction temperature may be from 50° C. to 200° C., preferably 70° C. to 150° C. and most preferably from 75° C. to 130° C. The target lithium thiophosphate composite may be isolated from the mother liquor by methods previously described and freed of coordinated solvent as previously described.

The above description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, this invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. In this regard, certain embodiments within the invention may not show every benefit of the invention, considered broadly.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Attempted Microwave Solid State Synthesis of a-Li₃PS₄

A solid-state, microwave synthesis of Li₃PS₄ by directly reacting Li₂S and P₂S₅ powders in the absence of solvent was attempted. The reaction was carried out at 290° C., to melt the P₂S₅, for 40 minutes. Raman spectroscopy was employed to characterize the local structure of the product, which is shown in FIG. 1. The peaks at 385 cm⁻¹ and 422 cm⁻¹ are assigned to the hypo-thiophosphate (P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ anion) and ortho-thiophosphate (PS₄ ³⁻ anion), respectively. The presence of crystalline Li₄P₂S₆ and β-Li₃PS₄ was also confirmed by XRD. Specifically, the presence of the (221) peak but absence of the (211) peak confirms that the product is β-, and not γ-, Li₃PS₄.

Example 2 Attempted Microwave Solvothermal Synthesis of a-Li₃PS₄

To reduce the temperature of the reaction, we investigated solvents in which Li₂S and P₂S₅ were partially soluble. In a wide variety of anhydrous polar solvents—including dibutyl ether, glyme, tetraglyme, 1,3-dioxolane, acetonitrile and THF—Raman spectroscopy once again reveals the presence of the desired PS₄ ³⁻ anions in the product (FIG. 1), similar to the solvent-free reaction. In FIG. 1 the Raman spectra of 3Li₂S:P₂S₅ samples microwaved in various solvents, including acetonitrile (top, 1^(st)), 1,3 dioxolane (2^(nd)), tetraglyme (3^(rd)), glyme (4^(th)), dibutyl ether (5^(th)) and tetrahydrofuran (THF, 6^(th)) are shown. The Raman spectrum of pure Li₂S (solid, bottom) is also shown to demonstrate that some of the microwave syntheses did not react to completion in these cases. The PS₄ ³⁻ anion was the sole product when the reaction was carried out in THF at 130° C. for 30 min, albeit as β-Li₃PS₄ with residual Li₂S as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 2 the Raman spectra of the insoluble product of a microwaved reaction of a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅ in THF is shown. The long-dashed line represents a reaction carried out at 130° C. for 30 min; the short-dashed line represents a reaction carried out at 130° C. for 3 h; the dotted line represents a reaction carried out at 100° C. for 3 h. The solid line is ball milled, amorphous Li₃PS₄ for comparison.

Extending the reaction time to 3 h eliminated the residual Li₂S but still produced β-Li₃PS₄ (FIG. 2). Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the THF molecules can be readily removed over a temperature range from 80° C. to 130° C., as shown in FIG. 3. The weight loss obtained from the TGA curve suggested a chemical composition of 2Li₃PS₄·5THF. After removing the solvent at approximately 130° C. (on a hot plate) for 3 h, the powder was pressed into a pellet, compressed between two stainless steel rods and the Li⁺ conductivity was measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 25° C. The conductivity of this β-Li₃PS₄ was 0.0086 mS/cm, in agreement with previous results for β-Li₃PS₄ synthesized by ball milling.

Example 3 Synthesis of α-Li₃PS₄ (Amorphous Li₃PS₄)

Amorphous Li₃PS₄ was obtained by microwaving a 3:1 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ in THF at 100° C. for 3 hours (FIG. 2). In contrast to the ball milled Li₃PS₄ sample, the microwaved sample was devoid of a P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ anion impurity. The coordinated THF was removed at 130° C. under vacuum, resulting in a 50% weight loss. The resulting particles were either large and blocky or small as shown in FIG. 4. After the reaction, only a white powder remained at the bottom of the vial and the solution was colorless and clear.

Annealing is the conversion of the amorphous product into a partially or completely crystalline form. Before annealing, the absence of any reflections (i.e. peaks) in the XRD pattern, shown in FIG. 5 (lowermost scan), inferred that the sample was amorphous. Confirmation of the Li₃PS₄ product was established by heating the powder at 150° C. for 1 hour to form β-Li₃PS₄, which can be positively identified by its fingerprint XRD pattern, as shown in FIG. 5 (uppermost scan). In FIG. 5 the broad hump centered at about 21° is from the quartz capillary.

FIG. 6 shows an Arrhenius plot of the Li⁺ conductivity of microwave-synthesized a-Li₃PS₄ between −10° C. and 80° C. (measured using EIS), yielding values of 0.1 mS/cm at 25° C. and 1 mS/cm at 80° C. The activation energy was calculated using the Arrhenius equation, σ=σ₀e^(−E) ^(a) ^(/kT), to be 160 meV. FIG. 7 shows the voltage profile of a solid state Li/α-Li₃PS₄/Li cell as it was cycled at room temperature at 0.1 mA/cm² with 2 h half-cycles for 20 cycles to demonstrate the feasibility of microwave-synthesized LIP as a Li-ion electrolyte. During the initial cycles, the stripping and plating of Li occurred at an overpotential of 47 mV, at 0.1 mA/cm² for 2 h each half-cycle.

Example 4 Attempted Microwave Solid State Synthesis of Li₇P₃S₁₁

Crystalline Li₇P₃S₁₁ is comprised of PS₄ ³⁻ and P₂S₇ ⁴⁻ anions in a 1:1 ratio.

Microwave, solid-state synthesis of a 70:30 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ at 300° C. for 30 min yielded a material having the Raman spectra shown in FIG. 8 (solid line) containing P₂S₆ ⁴⁻ as indicated by the Raman band at 385 cm⁻¹ and PS₄ ³⁻ as indicated by the Raman band at 424 cm⁻¹ but none of the desired P₂S₇ ⁴⁻ which is characterized by a Raman band at 405 cm⁻¹.

Example 6 Microwave Solvothermal Synthesis of Li₇P₃S₁₁ (THF)

A 70:30 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ was mixed in THF and microwave heated to 75° C. for 2 hours. As indicated in FIG. 8 (upper dotted curve) the desired composition of 1 P₂S₇ ⁴⁻:1 PS₄ ³⁻ was obtained. The TGA analysis, displayed in FIG. 9, indicates that the coordinated THF can be removed by heating the product to 150° C., resulting in a ˜45% weight loss. The dried product powder was annealed to obtain the crystalline form of Li₇P₃S₁₁.

Example 7 Microwave Solvothermal Synthesis of Li₇P₃S₁₁ (ACN)

A 70:30 molar ratio of Li₂S and P₂S₅ was mixed in acetonitrile (ACN) and microwave heated to 100° C. for 3 hours. As indicated in FIG. 10 (upper dotted curve) the desired composition of 1 P₂S₇ ⁴⁻: 1 PS₄ ³⁻ was obtained. The TGA analysis, displayed in FIG. 11, indicates that the coordinated THF can be removed by heating the product to 150° C., resulting in a ˜45% weight loss.

The solid line in FIG. 11 represents ball milled reaction of a 7:3 molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅. The dashed line is the product of soaking ball milled, amorphous Li₇P₃S₁₁ in acetonitrile (ACN) for 24 hours, followed by acetonitrile removal. The dotted line represents the product of the microwave reaction in acetonitrile described above. “P₂S₆ ⁴⁻·ACN” and “PS₄ ³⁻·ACN” (dotted lines) show how ACN coordination increased the Raman excitation energy of those vibrations.

Example 8 Detailed Synthesis of Amorphous Li₃PS₄

Into a 10 mL silicon carbide microwave vial (Anton Paar), anhydrous THF (Manchester Organics, 3 mL) and a stir bar were added. To the vial, Li₂S (Aldrich, 99.98%, 41.4 mg, 0.900 mmol) and P₂S₅ (Sigma-Aldrich, 99%, 66.7 mg, 0.3 mmol) powder were added. The vial was immediately capped and vortexed. The vial was then transferred from the glove box to the microwave reactor. The mixture was heated to 100° C. for 3 hours with a stir rate of 1200 rpm. Due to the air sensitivity of the lithium thiophosphates, the IR temperature sensor was used to control the temperature. After the synthesis was complete, the vial was returned to the glove box and the white insoluble product was removed using suction filtration. After the solvent was removed, the residue was slurried in anhydrous heptane (10 mL) and the insoluble product was collected by suction filtration. The coordinated solvent (i.e. THF) was removed from the insoluble product by heating it to 124° C. on a hot plate in the glove box for 3 hours.

Example 8 Detailed Synthesis of Amorphous Li₇P₃S₁₁ Pre-Cursor

Into a 10 mL quartz microwave vial (Anton Paar), anhydrous acetonitrile (ACN) (Manchester Organics, 3 mL) and a stir bar were added. To the vial, Li₂S (Aldrich, 99.98%, 48.2 mg, 1.05 mmol and P₂S₅ (Sigma-Aldrich, 99%, 100 mg, 0.45 mmol) powder were added. The vial was immediately capped and vortexed. The vial was then transferred from the is glove box to the microwave reactor. The mixture was heated to 100° C. for 3 hours with a stir rate of 1200 rpm. Due to the air sensitivity of the lithium thiophosphates, the IR temperature sensor was used to control the temperature. After the synthesis was complete, the vial was returned to the glove box and the acetonitrile was removed at 50° C. under vacuum, leaving behind a white product. After the bulk solvent was removed, the coordinated solvent (i.e. ACN) was removed from the powder product by heating it to 200° C. in a Buchi B-585 glass oven for 1 hour.

TGA Analysis.

TGA analysis was performed within an Ar glove box (H₂O, O₂<0.1 ppm) using a Netzsch Luxx STA 409 PC. About 8 mg of sample powder was loaded into a cold-sealable, DSC pan with a 75 μm diameter hole in the lid. The DSC pan was crimped, loaded into the Netzsch Luxx and heated at 2° C./min. The reference was an empty, crimped DSC pan with a hole in the lid.

Raman Analysis.

Raman spectroscopy was performed with a Horiba LabRAM HR spectrometer equipped with an inverted optical microscope. A 50× lwr objective lens was used to focus a 532 nm laser onto the powder sample, which was pressed against the inside surface of a sealed cuvette to protect it from air. The hack-scattered light was dispersed using a 600 grating/mm grating onto a CCD camera. Spectra were collected by performing 20 sequential scans, each with a 1 second duration. Spectra were collected from four different spots on each sample and compared to confirm sample homogeneity.

SEM Analysis.

SEM images were collected using a JEOL 7800 FLV at a magnification of 500× with an acceleration voltage of 5 kV and a beam current of 8 (43 pA).

Powder XRD Analysis.

A Rigaku SmartLab 3 kW fitted with an Anton-Paar HTK 1200N oven chamber and capillary extension was used to collect the XRD patterns. The 0.3 mm diameter quartz capillary was filled with dried, amorphous Li₃PS₄ and sealed with epoxy in the glove box before transferring it to the diffractometer. Patterns were collected with a 0.035° step size at a rate of 0.4167°/min. After the amorphous material was scanted, the capillary was heated to 150° C. to crystallize the material into β-Li₃PS₄. Multiple scans were performed so that the first and final patterns could be compared to confirm that the pattern did not change with time and, therefore, that the sample was successfully protected from air. The repeated scans were then added together to form the final XRD patterns.

Conductivity Measurement.

Into a Macor pellet die, 100 mg of Li₃PS₄ powder was added and then pressed at 66.4 bar for 1 min to form an 11.28 mm diameter pellet (i.e. 1.0 cm²). Then, carbon-coated aluminum foil (MTI corp.) was pressed into both sides of the pellet. This stack of materials was compressed at about 88 MPa in an air-tight cell, attached to a Bio-logic VMP3 potentiostat, and placed into a temperature-controlled oven. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the complex impedance of the cell at increasing temperatures from −10° C. to 80° C.

Electrochemical Cycling.

Into a Macor pellet die, 100 mg of Li₃PS₄ powder was added and then pressed at 66.4 bar for 1 min to form an 11.28 mm diameter pellet (i.e. 1.0 cm²), 596 μm thick. Then, polished and flattened lithium foil discs (99.8%, Honjo Metal) were applied to both sides of the pellet, followed by 508 μm-thick 400 nickel spacers (McMaster-Carr) and 9.5 mm diameter wave springs (McMaster-Carr). The spring/spacer/Li/solid electrolyte/Li/spacer/spring stack was compressed to 8.8 MPa in a cell, transferred to a 25° C. oven and cycled in an air-tight container using a Bio-logic VMP3 potentiostat. The cell was cycled galvanostatically at 100 μA/cm² with 0.2 mAh/cm² half-cycles. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite, comprising: preparing an anhydrous mixture comprising: Li₂S; P₂S₅; optionally a component B; and a nonaqueous polar solvent; mixing the anhydrous mixture to at least partially dissolve the Li₂S, P₂S₅ and component B if present; applying microwave energy to the anhydrous mixture to raise the reaction temperature to an optimum value for synthesis of the target lithium thiophosphate composite to obtain the target lithium thiophosphate composite; and removing the polar solvent from the obtained lithium thiophosphate composite; wherein a molar ratio of Li₂S to P₂S₅ and to B, if present, is determined by the composition of the target lithium thiophosphate composite, and wherein the optional component B, when present is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Li₃N, Li₂O, LiN₃, GeS₂ or LiX wherein X is I, Cl or Br.
 2. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein the nonaqueous polar solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethers, nitriles, alcohols, carbonates and esters, with the proviso that the polar solvent is volatile under reduced pressure at a temperature less than a phase transition temperature of the target lithium thiophosphate composite.
 3. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein the microwave energy applied the anhydrous mixture to induce reaction raises the temperature to a value of from 50° C. to 200° C.
 4. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein a time of the microwave induced reaction may be from 30 minutes to 5 hours.
 5. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein the target lithium thiophosphate composite is amorphous Li₃PS₄, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 3/1, the solvent is tetrahydrofuran and no B component is present.
 6. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein the target lithium thiophosphate composite is Li₇P₃S₁₁, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately 70/30, the solvent is tetrahydrofuran or acetonitrile and no B component is present.
 7. The method to prepare a target lithium thiophosphate composite according to claim 1 wherein the target lithium thiophosphate composite is xLi₂S·yP₂S₅·(100-x-y)B, a ratio of Li₂S/P₂S₅ is approximately x/y, and a B component is present in an amount of 100-x-y. 